Newly renovated Mirage offers great value for visitors in Vegas

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, The Mirage Resort & Casino has undergone a complete makeover since it opened in 1989.

With newly designed suites that make you feel right at home, the Mirage offers tremendous value for smart travellers looking for a hotel at the heart of the Strip with all the amenities minus the excessive frills.

On a recent visit to Las Vegas in September 2009, I stayed at the Mirage got knee-deep into everything it had to offer. Here's what you need to know about staying at the Mirage!

Rooms/Accommodations: The Mirage offers several types of rooms and rates, starting at approximately $90 for a Deluxe Room; $140 for a 1 Bedroom Suite; and $220 for a Penthouse Suite. I stayed in a deluxe room and found that they were modern, comfortable, and a good size for this price category in Vegas. The new bathroom vanities looked great but the bathtub/shower looked like the original set from 1989 and could use some updating.

Kim Vo Spa + Salon offers a vast array of treatments, salon services and a fitness gym. This small, boutique spa offers men and women's areas with a comfortable lounge and a selection of healthy snacks and magazines while you wait. Aside from a dry sauna and steam room, you can take your pick of any four jacuzzis, each set at a different temperature. Consider starting your day with a Signature Birch Detoxifying Wrap: an invigorating seaweed wrap to help boost the immune system and to compliment a healthy lifestyle regiment.

Cravings Buffet is the breakfast spot of choice for most Mirage guests and is also considered one of the best buffets in Vegas. With 11 different kitchen counter options, you can get continental food, pizza, sushi, Chinese food, roast beef, dessert, and more.

The Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat allow visitors to experience the exotic world of Siegfried and Roy. From white lions to white tigers, panthers and bottlenose dolphins, the small exhibit brings you up and close to these wonderful beasts. The Dolphin Habitat's Trainer for a Day program offers children and adults a chance to experience being a dolphin trainer for a day - from learning signals to feeding the dolphins and washing buckets.

The Mirage Pool & BARE is a great place to people-watch but from 10am to 4pm, it can be difficult to find a lounge chair. Solution? You can reserve one for $50/day. The heated year-round lagoon-style pool also features a great waterfall surrounded by tropical garden. BARE offers an exclusive adults-only pool option for those wanting to get away from screaming children or wanting to go bare on top. Great VIP service, lively music, and luxe lounge chairs make BARE my preferred pool choice at The Mirage.

The Beatles: REVOLUTION Lounge offers hotel guests and visitors a place to unwind at night or before/after watching the Cirque de Soleil's Beatles' LOVE show at the Mirage. The lounge recreates and modernizes the Beatles' for today and offers changing, interactive wallpaper and table-tops to heighten the psychedelic experience. Even with dancers on the bar, REVOLUTION Lounge is a great, mature option for those looking to avoid the Mirage's JET nightclub, its lines and under-aged teenagers.

The Beatles: LOVE by Cirque du Soleil: A tribute to the Beatles, LOVE brings story-telling, acrobatics, and circus tricks as a way of interpreting the lyrics, songs, and lives of the Beatles. Look out for Sgt. Pepper and Lucy in the Sky. Colourful and wildly creative, LOVE made it as one of my favourite shows in Las Vegas - don't miss it!

Opened in 1989, The Mirage was one of the first mega-resorts to be built on the Las Vegas Strip. They set the tone and soon, large "destination resorts" quickly began to replace smaller hotels by offering a one-stop-shop option: hundreds of rooms, casino & gambling space, restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

The Mirage is currently offering a special discounted website offer with on room rates from $77. Go to www.mirage.com for more.

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